Clicker Training for Dogs

Why should clicker training be implemented for your adult dog? Is it true you cannot teach an old dog new tricks? Absolutely not! The clicker provides the pet parent with an excellent method of teaching your dog any commands or tricks you would like him to know! Is your dog already trained? No problem, the clicker can still be extremely helpful to you! You want your dog to learn how to shake? Perfect! Simply implement the clicker into your dog’s routine and he will be shaking in no time! Find below our tips on clicker training for dogs!

Introducing the Clicker

Although dogs are often more difficult to train than puppies, you can easily implement dog clicker training for your canine. All you need is a clicker and treats! You should begin by spending about thirty minutes with the dog to teach him to associate the sound of the clicker with a treat. Once your dog correlates the sound to a treat, you can begin to teach him the behaviors you desire him to learn. A number of behaviors may be implemented with the clicker.

Dog Clicker Training and Associated Behaviors

There are a number of behaviors which can be easily associated with the clicker and treat method including:

Name association: You can teach your dog to associate his name with the clicker. Do this by calling your dog’s name; if the dog answers, you can click the clicker and give a treat. If the dog does not look at you, do not click.

How to sit: You can teach the dog how to sit using the clicker and treat method. Tell the dog to sit. If the dog sits, click and treat the dog. If the dog does not sit, show the dog how to sit then click and treat.

Housetraining your dog: You can teach your dog to use the bathroom properly by click and treat method. When your dog uses the potty in a desired area, click and treat.

Are there other behaviors you would like your dog to learn? How to shake or “play dead”, for example? Excellent! Once you clicker train your dog, you can positively reinforce any desired behavior! Simply follow the same process as explained above! Dog clicker training can be learned by every canine, step by step.

Effective Clicker Training for Dogs

Clicker training your dog can be extremely effective. This type of training works on the majority of breeds and is often the method of choice among dog trainers. If you have any questions regarding clicker training for dogs, you should contact our or your behavior professional.

Learn more about clicker training for puppies.

Amber Johnson, Animal Behaviorist

Miss Amber Johnson has many years of experience with pets and is a licensed cat and dog nutrition and behavior specialist. She currently collaborates with PetPremium where she counsels clients in pet behavior and nutrition. The statements made in this article are the personal opinions of Miss Amber Johnson and based on independent experiences and could be different from the opinions of PetPremium Pet health Insurance or any other pet health insurance provider.